Unions call for resignation of top management and the CEO
- Hundreds of mine workers marched in the West Rand of
Johannesburg on Saturday to protest looming retrenchments at gold mining giantSibanye-Stillwater . - The march was organised by the
National Union of Mineworkers and supported by COSATU. - Shortly after concluding a retrenchment process in December, Sibanye announced that more than 575 employees would be retrenched with a further 550 granted voluntary severance packages.
- NUM in its memorandum of demands calls for the resignation of top management and the CEO
Neal Froneman , "as they are unable to stabilise and run the mining company".
Hundreds of mine workers took to the streets on the West Rand of
The protesting mine workers highlighted the impact the company's recent wave of retrenchments has had on workers and their families. Shortly after concluding a retrenchment process in December, Sibanye announced that more than 575 employees would be retrenched with a further 550 granted voluntary severance packages.
Then in April the company announced that a further 4,000 jobs could be at risk in its gold operations.
The company has claimed that a business review has identified a need to address losses at the Beatrix 1 shaft in the Free State and the Kloof 2 plant in the West Rand.
The protest on Saturday was organised by the
Unions also questioned the timing of the announcement by Sibanye which occurred just before salary negotiations and at a time when the price of gold is surging.
"When there is a boom in the economy, they share the profits amongst themselves. And when they are not doing well and there is a knock on the economy the first people that must leave are the workers.
During a commodities boom in 2021 it was announced that
"Thirty years down the line we have not really realised the mission to close those gaps. Workers don't have decent houses, decent health care purely because they are underpaid," said Mpho Phakedi,
On Saturday, a large police presence watched over protesters who at one stage attempted to block the N12 highway, causing traffic to back up. Police negotiated with the miners who eventually marched on one side of the road. The rest of the march proceeded peacefully.
Mine worker
NUM in its memorandum of demands called for the resignation of top management and Froneman, "as they are unable to stabilise and run the mining company".
Calls were also made for the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
The looming retrenchments remain a pressing issue for workers in the run up to elections later this month, with some workers claiming they would not vote for the ANC if their grievances were not resolved.
The memorandum was handed over to representatives from
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